Let's Put On a Show!

Just from its name, you can tell that the Boulder collaborative theater troupe Band of Toughs knows how hard it is for an experimental group to get a foothold out there -- even in Boulder. And in the spirit of that sheer will and a good dose of brotherhood, they're hosting Silver and Gold: A Holiday Extravaganza, a performance party with a purpose, tonight at the Naropa University Performing Arts Center.

"We were looking for an opportunity to do an end-of-year holiday celebration, but instead of doing a performance piece, we decided to do a one-night event and bring in a lot of our friends and local companies and make it more of a communal event," says Band of Toughs member Kevin Poole. "That way, we can draw in a lot of different people and make it a fuller event, where everybody will get to see all the great work coming up from the participating groups for the new year instead of some random performances." Poole expects about nine or ten performance and dance ensembles -- including such fringe-friendly fare as the Catamounts, square product theatre, Syzygy Butoh and kim olsen/sweet edge -- to tout their upcoming seasons in three-minute increments.

But there's even more to this holiday-themed party: First, the space will be transformed by invited installation artists, and no one can predict what that will turn out to look like. Guests will also be treated to a photo booth equipped with changeable scenery and costumes for fun picture-taking, and there will be food and drink. Even whole families will be accommodated. "Some people in our companies, as well as in our audience, feel like they can't go to an event like this because of the need for child care," explains Poole. "So we're going to have a special kids' corner, also with food." And for both children and the childlike, he adds, "we'll be showing the Rudolph claymation classic throughout the event." Joy to the world!